Soap-dispensing bag



Ag. 26, 1952 H. A. MILLER 607,940

SOAP-DISPENSING BAG Filed March 21, 1949 (IttoxznegsV Patented Aug. 26,1952 OFFICE y soAr-msrENsING BAG i A 4I/Io'vv'ard A. Miller, Greenback,Tenn.

Application March v21, 1949, Serial N0. 82,501

This invention relates4 to 'soap :holders and, in particular, to soapbags.

lOne object of this invention-is l,to provide a soap bag of openmesh'material so constructed as to permit easy insertion of the soap whilepreventing Yits accidental escape from the bag;

Another object-of, this invention is to provide asoap bag of open meshmaterial which is easily manufactured; by mass lproduction methods atlow cost of production. 1, l Y l' Another Objectis to provide a soapbagof open mesh material Whereinthe -strands thereof are coated with a,rubber-like material such as naturalor synthetic rubber or rubber-likeplastic and thereby rendered impervious to either soap, water or dirt,thus preventing deterioration ofthe fibres and-lengthening thelife-ofthe bag as well'as rendering it smooth to the touch.

Another object visto provide asoap bag of open mesh material soconstructed as to be easily held in the hand and having a pocket forreceiving the finger tips so that it will not easily slip out of thegrasp of the user.

Another object is to .provide a soap bag of open mesh material which maybe used to receive soap scraps or broken pieces which would otherwise bewasted.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the soap bag of this invention, withthe bag open to receive the soap, prior to folding over the closureflap;

\ Figure V2 is a top plan view ofthe soap bag shown inv Figure 1, withthe mouth ofthe bag open to receive the soap; Y.

Figure 3 is a vertical section along the -line 3--3 of Figure l, showingthe-location of the soap retention iiap and the closure flaprespectively;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic perspective View showing how the Vflaps 'arefolded over the ends of the sheet of mesh material prior to uniting theedges thereof to form the bag; Y

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic vertical cross section similar to Figure 3,showing the position of the soap retention flap before the closure flaphas been folded over;

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 5, taken after the closure ap hasbeen folded over the mouth of the bag to close the bag and provide afinger pocket; and

Figure l is a perspective View showing the soap bag in use with thefingers inserted in the finger pocket formed by the folded over closureflap.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figure 1 shows a soap bag,generally designated I0, ac-

o 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-122) 2 cordihg to one form of the invention intheform of an envelope of loosely-woven material having front and -rearwalls'II and I2 (Figure 3). |The front wall II, which is the walleventually engaged by the fingers and palm of the handhas an inwardlyturned soap-retention flap I3 which serves as' a trap to prevent thesoap fromcorning out when it has once been inserted. Similarly, the rear'Wall I2 Vis provided with a'n out` wardly-turnedclosure flap I4fwhich,` as exi l plained below, is turned insideout while being pulledover the -mouth fI5 of the bag "IU jafter the' soap IE', has beeninserted in the soapfchamb'er I6 thereof;

The soap b-ag I 0 is formed of open rnesh material such as nettinghaving threads or Vstrands Il of suitable material such as cotton,paper, nylon or other material used for mak-ing threads or cords. Thematerial `of the threads IlA is coated with rubber-like material 'suchas natural or synthetic rubber' or 'rubber-like plastic. This coatingprotects the threads by resisting the entrance of water or greaseandprolongs the life of the threads. It also friakes it smooth to thetouch, and impervious to the soap itself so that the threads will notbecome slimy. The threads I'I of the open mesh material are coated withthe rubber-like material either in the sheet form before thematerial'iscut into strips, or the entire bagmay be coated in Vthismanner at any stage of `its manufacture.,` i l i The Awalls II and I 2vare secured tov one anotheralong inwardly turned seams I 8 and I9, theseams IBand I9 being of four thicknesses in the upper portion of the bagwhere the side edges 20 and 2| of the turned over' ap's I3 and I4 arecombined with the seams. The seams I8 and I9 are preferably stitchedtogether and then sealed by a suitable sealingcompound, such as therubber-like material previously mentioned.

In the manufacture of the soap bag IB, an elongated rectangular strip ofmesh material such as netting is cut of sufficient length to provide abag of the desired depth and with the flaps I3 and I4 of the desiredwidth. In other Words, the length of the strip -would be approximatelyequal to the combined heights of the side walls II and I2 (Figure 3)increased by the combined depths of the flaps I3 and I4. The oppositeend portions of the strip are bent over and back upon the strip in thesame direction, as shown in Figure 3, at the bending lines 22 and 23respectively. With the flaps thus bent over, upon the strip, the stripitself is bent at its midportion along the 3 bending lines 24 to bringthe side edges of the side walls II and I2 together.

These side edges are then preferably stitched together and the seamssealed by means of a sealing compound such as natural or syntheticrubber or rubber-like plastic, the sealing compound extending laterallyto the desired width of the seam, for example, one quarter inch. The bagis now inside out with the seams projecting outward, hence it is nextturned outside in to cause the seams to be on the inside of the bagfacing inward as shown in Figure 2.

The diagrammatic perspective view in Figure 4 shows the bag after theiiaps I3 and Y,I4 have been folded over, but before the side edges havebeen united and the bag turned outside in to place the seams I8 and I9on the inside as shown in Figure 2. After this has been done, "the isready for the insertion of the soap S. f

In the use of the soap bag I of this invention, let it be assumed thatthe mouth I` of the bag is open, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3;and 5.The soap S, if in the form of a cake or the pieces thereof, are insertedthrough the mouth I5 of the bag and pushed down vinto the chamber I6 inthe interior thereof. The lower edge 25 of the retention iiap I3 is thenpulled upward over the top of the cake of soap S or over the piecesthereof until these lie within the space-26 (Figure 5) and the retentionflap I3 overlies the soap S. The user now grasps the lower edge 2'I ofthe closure flap I 4 (Figures 3 and 5) and pulls the ap I4 inside outover the mouth I5 of the bag, causing it to assume the position ofFigure 6 overlying and engaging the forward wall II of the bag. The soapS is now `doubly retained or trapped inthe bag by the flaps I3 and I4.

The user, may, of course,` grasp the bag with the soap inside it in anyconvenient way. Figure '7, however, shows a convenient way of graspingthe bag so that it will not slip out of the hand. In so doing, the userinserts the tips of his fmgers into the pocket 28 (Figure 6) between theiiap I 4 and the wall II, and grasps the opposite wall I2 with histhumb. The device may then be used to work up a lather by shaking it toand fro. The soap cannot escape fromthe bag and even small pieces areprevented from escaping becausel of the mesh construction of the bag. Atthe same time, Water can flow into and out of the bag freeely in orderto. dissolve the soap and create a lather. It can be usedfor bath,dishes, laundry, cleaning, or Wherever soap is used.

In addition to shaking the soap bag to produce a lather, as describedabove, this lather can also be produced by rubbing the soap bag againstthe article to be cleaned. The open mesh construction of the presentinvention also enables the soap bag to be hung up and allowed to dry outafter use. The open mesh construction enables the air to circulatefreely around the soap has 4 during the drying out operation, therebypreventing the soap from becoming soft and useless and accordinglysaving soap. In contrast to this, soap left in an ordinary soap dish isoften left standing in water in the bottom of the dish. This not onlyprevents drying out of the soap but renders it jelly-like and wastessoap.

What I claim is:

A soap bag comprising an'envelope of porous material having front andrear walls secured to one another in approximately parallel relationshipand closed along their bottom and side edges, said front and rear wallshaving upper edges spaced apart from one another to form an open mouthfor said envelope, an inner flap extending downwardly from the upperedge of said front wall into the interior of said envelope partway alongthe inner side of said front wall, the upper edge and side edges of saidinner flap being secured to and closed along said upper edge and saidside edges respectively of said front wall and cooperating with saidfront wall to form an inner soap-retaining pocket, the Alower edge ofsaid inner ap being separated from said front and rear walls to form adownwardly open mouth for said inner pocket, and an outer .iiapextending from the upper edge of said rear wall downwardly partway alongthe outer side ofsaid rear wall; the upper edge and side edges of saidouter flap being secured to and closed alongsaid upper edgey and sideedges respectively ofsaid rear wall and cooperating with said rear wallto form' an outer closure pocket, the lower edge of said outer flapbeing separated from said'rearV wall to-form a downwardly open mouth forsaid outer pocket, whereby said outer ap Ais foldable inside out oversaid open mouth of said envelope to "close said envelope mouth by movingsaid lower edge of said outer nap upwardly over the edges of said openmouth and then downwardly along the outer surface of said front wall. ,v

HOWARD A. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record -in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britaink Feb. 14,1929

